This invention relates to vulcanizable elastomers, processes for preparing and vulcanizing said elastomers, and the vulcanized elastomers so obtained. More particularly, it relates to vulcanizable elastomeric copolymers of an acrylic ester, or mixture of acrylic esters, bis(2-methoxyethyl)fumarate or bis(2-methoxyethyl)maleate or mixtures thereof, and a halogen or epoxy-containing unsaturated monomer, optionally with a polybutadiene, polyisoprene or polychloroprene resin.
Elastomers based on copolymers of ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-methoxyethyl acrylate, and 2-cyanoethyl acrylate, or mixtures thereof, with vinyl chloroacetate, are well-known. These elastomers, used quite often in gaskets, seals, valve seats, and the like, although offering many useful properties, frequently tend toward embrittlement at low temperatures. Other polymers which exhibit excellent low temperature properties are deficient in resistance to oil absorption, i.e., they swell excessively on contact with oil.
Since none of the known elastomeric copolymers is completely satisfactory, with respect to both low temperature brittleness and oil absorption, research continues in order to find new copolymers that will provide a more satisfactory relationship between these properties.